Choosing appropriate materials for ELL students is very important because they need to be able to comprehend the content and strengthen their reading and comprehension skills. Teachers have to look at the vocabulary, the illustrations, the availble discussion opportuniites, and the metacognitive activities. Below is a table evalutating three different types of reading materials. All three are appropriate for ELL Students at the Kindergarten level. The proficiency levels are given for each book.
Great Materials for Promoting ESL Readers
Basal The Ship by Leslie Ellen
Literature Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse by Lindsay Barrett George
Non Fiction Sense Suspense by Bruce McMillan
Age: Kindergarten Reading Level: 2 Proficiency Level: Intermediate Summary: Two dogs scuba dive down to look at objects by a ship. Vocabulary: sight words (come, see, the) focus- sh vocabulary Illustrations: Visually appealing to young children. Discussion: Does not include discussion questions but could easily be invented by the teacher. Activities: No activities are given. Suggested activities include sequencing the items and animals the dogs found, and drawing something else they could have found. Use: This book would be used in a small reading group or as a center activity. It could also be read aloud when introducing the SH sound.
Age: Pre-k through 1st Proficiency Level: High Intermediate Summary: Two mice are moving on and around different objects. Vocabulary: Position words and indoor and outdoor vocabulary Illustrations: very realistic and appealing Discussion: The author offers some higher order thinking questions inferring about the lives of the two mice. Activities: No activities are given. Suggested activities include playing Simon says with position words by placing an object in the correct position. Drawing a picture by directions from the teacher. Use: This book would be great as an opening to a math lesson on position words.
Age: Pre-k and Kindergarten Proficiency Level: Speech Emergence Summary: Readers are to guess what the picture is revealing and decide what senses they can use with that object. Vocabulary: In English and Spanish: see, touch, smell, taste, and hear; food, animal, and plant vocabulary Illustrations: Photographs of Culebra, an island of Puerto Rico Discussion: All five senses are put to question for each picture. The students can ask or make a statement of which sense they will use. Activities: A guessing game is played throughout this book. Use: This book would be a great activity or opening to a science lesson on the five senses.
References: Ellen, L. (2000). TheShip. USA: Modern Curriculum Press. George, L. B. (2004). Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse. China: South China Printing Company. McMillan, B. (1994). Sense Suspense. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Choosing appropriate materials for ELL students is very important because they need to be able to comprehend the content and strengthen their reading and comprehension skills. Teachers have to look at the vocabulary, the illustrations, the availble discussion opportuniites, and the metacognitive activities. Below is a table evalutating three different types of reading materials. All three are appropriate for ELL Students at the Kindergarten level. The proficiency levels are given for each book.
The Ship
by Leslie Ellen
Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse
by Lindsay Barrett George
Sense Suspense
by Bruce McMillan
Reading Level: 2
Proficiency Level: Intermediate
Summary: Two dogs scuba dive down to look at objects by a ship.
Vocabulary: sight words (come, see, the)
focus- sh vocabulary
Illustrations: Visually appealing to young children.
Discussion: Does not include discussion questions but could easily be invented by the teacher.
Activities: No activities are given. Suggested activities include sequencing the items and animals the dogs found, and drawing something else they could have found.
Use: This book would be used in a small reading group or as a center activity. It could also be read aloud when introducing the SH sound.
Proficiency Level: High Intermediate
Summary: Two mice are moving on and around different objects.
Vocabulary: Position words and indoor and outdoor vocabulary
Illustrations: very realistic and appealing
Discussion: The author offers some higher order thinking questions inferring about the lives of the two mice.
Activities: No activities are given. Suggested activities include playing Simon says with position words by placing an object in the correct position. Drawing a picture by directions from the teacher.
Use: This book would be great as an opening to a math lesson on position words.
Proficiency Level: Speech Emergence
Summary: Readers are to guess what the picture is revealing and decide what senses they can use with that object.
Vocabulary: In English and Spanish: see, touch, smell, taste, and hear; food, animal, and plant vocabulary
Illustrations: Photographs of Culebra, an island of Puerto Rico
Discussion: All five senses are put to question for each picture. The students can ask or make a statement of which sense they will use.
Activities: A guessing game is played throughout this book.
Use: This book would be a great activity or opening to a science lesson on the five senses.
References:
Ellen, L. (2000). TheShip. USA: Modern Curriculum Press.
George, L. B. (2004). Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse. China: South China Printing Company.
McMillan, B. (1994). Sense Suspense. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Jennifer Lloyd
Una Elementary
jennifer.lloyd@mnps.org